Men have always wanted future
generations to remember the things they have done. They make statues, paintings, and monuments of
important events in their lives. They
hope these will remind people in years to come of what they have accomplished.

Our Lord Jesus Christ does not want
us to forget Him. He wants us always to
remember He died for our sins. He has
given us the written record of His life and will, the New Testament. He has also given us an act of worship by
which we remember His death for our sins. It is a simple meal of unleavened bread and
grape juice.

The accounts of the Lord’s supper are found in Matthew 26:26-29, Mark
14:22-25, Luke 22:19, 20, Acts 2:42; 20:7, and 1 Corinthians
10:14-22; 11:20-34. These accounts are not difficult to
understand. However, many people have
misunderstood them. Some of the
misunderstandings are: (1) What should the Lord’s
memorial be called? (2) What elements
should be used in it? (3) What is its
meaning? (4) How often should it be observed?
(5) Who is entitled to participate in
it? (6) How should one participate in
it? Let us see what the Bible says about
these questions.

What is it called?Some call
the Lord’s supper “the Mass.”
Others refer to it as “the Eucharist.” But what does the Bible call it? Often it is simply referred to as “the breaking of bread” (Acts 2:42: 20:7). It is also called “union” for it is a sharing
in the body and blood of Jesus Christ (1
Corinthians 10:16). It is
called “the table of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 10:21).It is also called “the Lord’s supper” because the Lord is the One who gave it (1 Corinthians11:20).

What elements should be used?Jesus gave the supper during the Jewish Feast
of Passover (Matthew 26:19 ff). Unleavened bread (without yeast) and the fruit
of the vine ( grape juice) were used in the Passover (Exodus 12, 13). These were the elements Jesus used. The unleavened bread represents His body which
never committed sin. The grape juice
represents His blood which was shed on the cross for our sins. We know it is right to use the same elements
Jesus used.

What does it mean?Jesus
said of the unleavened bread, “This is
My body which is broken for you” (1
Corinthians 11:24). He also
said of the cup (meaning, of course, the fruit of the vine contained in the
cup, not the cup itself), “This is My
blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins”
(Matthew 26:28). Roman Catholics claim that the bread and grape
juice actually become the body and blood of Jesus when they are blessed. This is called “transubstantiation.” The Bible never refers to
“transubstantiation.” Did Jesus really
mean that bread and grape juice become His actual flesh and blood? No, the very idea is absurd! When Jesus spoke these words, He was still
alive. He was in His body. His blood was flowing through His veins. Jesus was simply using a common figure of
speech called a “metaphor.” This means
He was saying that the bread represented His body and the fruit of the vine
represented His blood. The Lord’s supper is a “memorial,” not a “sacrifice.” The sacrifice of Christ was made when He died
on the cross; once and for all time (Hebrews
7:27; 9:12, 25-28). It cannot be made
over and over again as the Roman Catholic doctrine implies. Unleavened bread and grape juice simply remind
us that Jesus gave His body and shed His blood for our sins (Isaiah 53; 1 Peter 2:24).

When should it be eaten and how often?The only day mentioned in the Word of God for
eating the Lord’s supper is the first day of the week
(Acts 20:7). The first day of the week is Sunday, the day
Jesus Christ arose from the dead (Luke
24:1).It is the day the church
began for Pentecost came on the first day of the week (Leviticus 23:1-17; Acts 2). It
is the day Christians met to worship (Acts
20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2; Revelation 1:10). Since every week has a first day, then the Lord’s supper should be eaten every first day of every week.
The command, “Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8), meant that the Jews were
to remember every sabbath
day. In the same way, the example of eating the Lord’s supper
on the first day of the week teaches us to do it every first day of every week.

Who should eat it?The
purpose of the Lord’s supper is to remember His death
until He comes again (1 Corinthians 11:26).
If one has not accepted the Lord’s
sacrifice for sins by obeying the Gospel, then he should not eat the Lord’s supper. It has
no meaning for him. There is only one
way one can accept Christ’s sacrifice. He must hear the Gospel of Christ, believe in
Jesus Christ as the Son of God, repent of all his past sins, confess his faith
in Christ before men, and be buried in baptism for the remission of sins (Romans 10:17; John 8:24; Luke 13:3; Matthew 10:32,33; Acts 2:38;
Romans 6:4).Only those who have
obeyed the Gospel should eat the Lord’s supper.

How should one eat?One
should come to the Lord’s table with reverence and
thoughtfulness.The saints at Corinth
had made a mockery of the Lord’s supper.They had mixed it with a common meal.Some ate too much. Some had nothing to
eat.They missed the whole point of this
memorial.This is why Paul told them to
eat at home (1 Corinthians 11:20-22).We must not eat “unworthily”
or in “an unworthy manner.”None is worthy of the Lord’s sacrifice for
sins (Ephesians 2:8).However, one’s unworthiness is not the
meaning here.It is the way we eat the Lord’s supper.If we
eat it in a careless way, and do not think about its meaning, we are “guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.”Each one must “examine himself” to be sure he is thinking about the death of
Jesus on the cross for our sins (1
Corinthians 11:27-29).

When Christians eat the Lord’s supper, they are reminded of the price paid for their
salvation (2 Corinthians 5:21).Faithful followers of Jesus do not neglect
this important act of worship.They
assemble every first day of every week to “proclaim
the Lord’s death till He comes” (1
Corinthians 11:26).